Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-05-27
A STRANGE OLD LAW.
How England Used 10 Provide For
supply of Horses.


10, purnoses In this country Is now receiving
all, 10 mind time--more than three centu-
lies aoo--when a similar subject attracted the
,otice Of palriament aud led to an act being
nassed. in 1s4t, to prevent for the future TINS
.s,erave.n II was ordained that "the preiates,
,obIes md other jects Of this Realme hav-
,y marks sbuld kepe mares and fynd stan
a nds for brede and increuce OF Horses for de-
fence ~ this Resime." This had a good ef-
iect and In the thirty third year OF the kings
eIgn "ther had begon good nomore oil pfeue
II Horses which by CONTINUANCE is lyke In
short time much to incrcace Tor tue suer ue'
fence of this Realme, II provision were maze
FOR the keeping and sustentaclon OF suche
horses within this Realme and In other the
Kings Domynions after they be brede ana
um TO age TO do service" Therefore parlia-
neut enacted that, under heavy penalty Tor
neglect every preiate and noble OF the realm,
according to his grade, and every temporal
,erson Of moderate afiiucnce should thence
Iorth keep his stable provided with one or
more "trottng horses for the saddill, In
hrypht Kill handiuIles, reconyage and ac'
counting 10 every handfulle foure ynches oil
Inc standarde; TO be measured from the meth
.r parte of the here OF the houghe unto the
upper part OF the wydersomes- -that is to say,
The upper parte OF the shuldcrs."
No difficulty would present itself In idcnti-
tyiug the "prelates" aud "nob!es OF the
calm" ali OF whom were liable; but to set
lie what lesser pcrsonagcs there were who
we're able to find horse for the kings ser
vice was less easy task. The expcdient was
therefore hit upon OF deciding the point by
The dress ia which their wives appeared
abroad Aud so the act concluded BY enforc-
ing that ''all aud every other person temporal,
not afore meneyoted, whose VIII after the
Feast Of Saiut Michael tharchanngell next
hereafter mentioned In this Acte shall were
any goun of sylke or whose WIFI shall we're
my Frenehe hood or bonnet of Velvet with
any habllimcnt, part, or egge OF gold, pere,
" stone, or any ehaync Of gold about Their
nekkcs or in their par,lettes, or In any APP
aarell Of their bodle. shall after the Feast OF
Saint Michael tharchanngell which shalbc in
the yere Of our Lorde God thousand we
hundrd fourty aud FIVE have, fynde, kepc
,usteyne, and mayntenc as Is aforesaid one
trotting horse for the Sadili." 1t was also
enacted that II the wife of any such temporal
person should wear any velvet "in the lyntng
or other part OF her gowne' except sin the
auffes or purfels," any velvet iu her "kyrtell,"
9r any ''peticote of siScn that then the hus.
band OF such wife should be bound to find
iorse for the kings service. A just provision
exempted from penalty husbands whose wives
were divorced or separated from them. Be-
sides This, there was provso that heirs with
In age, ''being wards,n whose estates amount
ed TO the yearly value OF 92J0 should not be
~.
keep horse, although the wlffes OF suche
heirs within age wore any gowne Of Sslke OF
any Frenche hood or Bonnet OF Velvet with
any habilyment, part, or egge Of Gold, Perle, u
etc. A fact In social history should be noted
In this last clausc--uamely, the expectation
that actual marriage, not merely betrothal,
might occur before the heir had completed his
majority.
so much for the act Let us now say wcrd
about the measures taken for enforcing 1t IN
the cases of ''persous Temporarily whose for
tunes were judged by the dress worn by theii
wives. 1t is odd that no organized attempt
seems to have been made for the discovery of
liable persons Immediately after passing th,
act, nor after renewal OF il IN the reign o.
Philip and Mary. Not, indeed, till the fourll
year OF Elizabeth's reign, when the need Of
horses for military service was doubtless most
urgent were commissions issued to the
county authorities to inquire generally into
the working of the act, and to ascertain wha
persons Of moderate means there were who
BY reason Of the apparel of their wives, hat
become liable TO fnd for the queens service
horse FURNISHED" for light horseman.
Is from the returns to these commissions tina
we get some note OF interest. II seems tina
extravaganza dress was mostly worn by the
wives of country knights, squires, gentlemen
and clercs, but the wives Of husbandmen ant
even laborers were also occasionally presente,
BY the juries of inquiry for wearing suel
costumes ms would render their husband
liable TO keep horse for the queens service
Women who dwelt In the cities or grea
towns were more moderate 10 their attire.
Thus In Durham, Newcastle-upon- Tyne, ant
| Worcester no man was returned AS liable b,
reason OF his wlte's apparel. At Salisbury
| however, several instances OF extravagan
| dressing are returned, and In many of thes
the husbands did not find the requisite hors,
and furniture. The wife of "rloma
| Robyns, OF New Sarum, Clothier on the 26tI
| OF September Taste, in ye Cltye OF New Saruu
aforesaid dyde weare a gouue commonly call
| ed Kassoke of blacke clothe with a cape O
black velvet with the same gown her hu.
band, at that time, not finding and keeping
''one geldlnge able and mete for a light horse
man with suffice nt harness and weapons. ac
| cordiug to the forme OF the Statute" Like pre
sentiments were made against the wives c
other citizens tmany described as glovers)
who wore "cassoks Of russell clothe," an
whose husbands were delnquents in respec
tohorses. AT Portsmouth three presentmen.
were made. In one case where the wife wor,
French hood with byllment OF polde, {,
the husband kept horse as required. i
the second place, excuse was pleaded by tn
husband that he was sin care Of the tow
| aforesaid" and 10 the third that he was on
OF the 'aflicers OF town Aforesaid The /;
| qniry for Cornwall was held st Truro on tn
9th OF October, 1862. before q dozen Cornis
squires, who presented several ladies' for e,
cess In apparel, among them the wife of Isl
William Godeolphyn, Knight" but the hu,
bands In all cases found and kept the e,
ouisite horse. II would seem that the Who'll
country Of Wiltshire las well as In Salisbury
the wives of men of limited means il
dulged ia costly costume. In the couutr,
however, no offender was found whose bu.
band, even though he was but yeoman {
husbandmsn, had not IN "readines the g,
quisite horse for her majesty's serylce.-S
| ydDles Gczetts.
Selling Daughters in Jonau